Orange games strategy targets other networks’ customers

Orange will use social media and third-party mobile app stores to sell its mobile games service as part of a campaign that will enable it to target other network operators’ customers.

Orange will launch over the next month three mobile gaming initiatives – Playtomo, Games Zone and Orange iPhone Games – pitched at mobile users with mid-market and smartphone handsets and employing a variety of revenue models.

Neil Holroyd, head of gaming products and services at Orange, said, “The launch of these mobile gaming offerings forms a key part of our strategy to grow our business through entertainment.”

Orange will market its mobile games to iPhone users through the Apple App Store following the launch of the Orange iPhone Games app late next month. The apps will also be available to App Store customers who subscribe to other mobile networks such as O2 and Vodafone.

Playtomo is a mobile social gaming service offering free mobile games. The app integrates with users’ social network profiles where they can issue invitations to friends to join, including those on different mobile networks.

Orange Games Zone is a subscription service costing £5 a month, entitling users to two free mobile games a month and a 20% discount on additional downloads from the Orange World portal.

Both Playtomo and Games Zone can be downloaded from Orange World.

The announcement comes a week after Orange launched a mobile gaming service in conjunction with high street media retailer HMV (nma.co.uk 19 March 2010).

This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk